


Worthy of Love

by Asexual_Enjolras



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Ending, Asgard (Marvel), Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Brothers, I Am Groot (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Incest, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Lives, M/M, No Incest, No Smut, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Platonic Relationships, Possessive Thor (Marvel), Post-Endgame, Protective Older Brothers, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2020-02-09 15:38:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18641059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asexual_Enjolras/pseuds/Asexual_Enjolras
Summary: Thor is broken following the death of Loki. Attempting to defeat Thanos in the final battle is almost impossible because he is so broken. He can barely stand. He, Tony and Steve are losing the battle.Until Loki falls through a portal and lifts Thor's spirits higher than they've ever been before, as well as lifting something a little less expected.





	Worthy of Love

***

Thanos' glare burnt straight through Thor as he lay on the floor. He was failing. Again. His entire body ached. His mind was a mess. He didn't deserve to wield Mjolnir. Why had he been able to? He was not worthy. He was a failure. Thor had imagined that, at the very least, cutting Thanos' head off in that hut would have been enough to end his pain. 

He could have rest at last.

But no. That didn't work. He had had to lie awake every night with his heart ripped out, open and bare. His head ached every day and his body was heavy and unenthused. Losing Loki really broke him. It was the worst thing that ever happened to him. And everyone knew that Thor had been through a lot of heartache. 

"You know, I find it very funny that I have no recollection of beating you. I do not even remember taking your brother's life. But I am still the ghost that haunts your every move." Thanos' tone shook Thor to the core. He had given up. It was impossible to defeat Thanos. He was too broken. Too weak. 

"Thor!" Steve screamed, throwing punches against every person and thing that came his way. "Tony, help Thor. I am okay." 

Tony turned his neck to look over to Thor, who lay on the floor in a heap. Tony flew close to Thor, assisting him to stand up using all of his strength. But Thor shook his head, simply falling back onto the floor. 

"There is nothing more fight for." Thor growled, throwing Tony's hand off of his arm. 

"There is freedom, Thor. We fight for freedom." 

"No, Tony. You fight. I fail." 

Tony shook his head, realising in his mind that there was nothing he could say or do to change Thor's mind. Too much was at stake to waste time on Thor. Tony had to fight. 

So he left him. He left Thor lying there. 

"What - what are you doing?" Steve raced to Thor's side. "We can't do this without you." 

Thor wanted to close his eyes. He wanted this to be over. He was sick of fighting. He was so sick of fighting with nothing to gain. 

"Thor! Get your stupid ass up!" Rocket's voice called from a few metres away. "You are not a failure unless you stay laying there!" 

He mumbled, scorning his mind for allowing him to become so weak. He stood, holding his hand up to the sky. Stormbreaker flew into his hands, gripping it tightly and thinking of Loki. He couldn't give his brother the satisfaction of doing nothing. He'd never hear the end of it when he gets to Valhalla. 

If Thor got to go to Valhalla, that was. Loki did. Thor was sure of that.

Thanos stood, standing tall above the rest. He grinned, smiling as he realised he was winning. The Infinity Stones lay on the glove, which lay on his hand. Thor could not let him win. 

"Tony, Thor! Let's do this!" Steve screeched, his voice breaking as it reached Thor's ears. It broke almost as much as Thor's heart did when Loki died - when his brother left him alone in the world. Again. "Now!"

Thor leapt forward, landing on top of Thanos' shoulders. He swung Stormbreaker, attempting to swing for his arm. He wanted to go for the head. He should go for the head. But the hand was a priority. 

'Go for the head.' He heard Loki say in his mind, the taunting in his voice almost making him do as he said. 

"I am inevitable." Thanos snorted, an inch away from clicking his fingers and ending it all again. Another failure would end Thor for good. He was sure of that. Everyone's spirits were already broken. There was no way they would all survive the next Snap. 

The sky opened up, the portals opening once more. The first time they opened saw Peter Parker, T'Challa and his army fall through. Thor thought that was all. But this time saw Bucky Barnes and Sam collapse onto the floor. And Starlord and the Tree and Drax. Thor glanced around, looking for a friend and found nobody. He was still alone in the world, even now. 

***

Loki's body plummeted forward through the portal, his eyes scanning the battlefield for his brother. The dark clouds were haunting and only reminded him of the horror that he had to face against Thanos on his ship. He never once anticipated the pain that it would cause him to lie to Thor. Not once. 

"Loki?" Tony's voice echoed through his ears. "Loki!" Tony flew around Loki's body, his technology scanning his motives and emotions. Loki was lost, confused, hurt and damaged. This was not the Loki he fought against in New York. "Loki, Thor is in danger."

"Where is he?" His deep voice echoed in Tony's ears, surprising him and sending shivers down his spine. It had been so many years since New York and yet the attack was still so fresh in his mind. Loki was a powerful being. He could be a valuable asset in the battle against Thanos so long as he remained on the right side. 

Tony pointed over to Thor, whose swing of the axe just missed Thanos. The giant grabbed Thor by the throat, pushing him back against a rock, squishing him into nothing. Thor gasped for air, unable to do anything else. Loki met Tony's eyes, his hand reaching up to the sky impulsively. Loki had no idea why but he felt as though it was something that had to happen, like his power came from the sky. 

Tony's eyes felt as though they were being deceived as Loki's fingers gripped tightly around the handle of a weapon that Tony had only ever seen Thor wield. Loki's mouth dropped for a second at the realisation, his mind racing to comprehend what had just happened.

Loki was wielding Mjolnir. 

He was actually wielding Mjolnir. He smirked to himself, scoffing. He was worthy after all. 

"Ahh-" Thor's scream snapped Loki back into reality. Thanos was pushing Thor's axe into his chest, his strength unable to battle off Thanos. 

Loki clicked his fingers, leaping directly above Thanos' head and aiming Mjolnir directly onto his skull. He reached, hitting the monster heavily on the head and allowing him to fall against the floor. In a split of a second, and without thinking, Loki grabbed Thor's neck and transported them away to the other side of the battlefield; to somewhere where there  was no battle. He collapsed, dropping Thor's neck and standing above his brother. 

"Loki - you - you're alive." 

"It would appear that your eyes do not deceive you." Loki grinned, basking in the sheer happiness of being in Thor's presence again. 

"But - you - you died." 

"And you got fat." Loki smirked. "I know that grief could do things to people but - my word, Thor." 

"I hate you."

Loki could do nothing but grin. His eyes melted to Thor's, unable to trail them away. Thor was sure he could see tears in his brother's eyes. 

Suddenly, the sky erupted with flames. From the sky plummeted a ship. 

"Who is that?" Loki quizzed, watching as Carol sped across the sky. 

"I am not too sure, if I am honest." Thor said. 

Loki rolled his eyes, still beaming. Thor stood, wrapping his younger brother into a tight hug. 

"Hey - is now the time to be hugging?"

"I thought I lost you." 

"I am holding Mjolnir and all you are thinking about is missing me." 

"Wait-"

Loki winked, tucking his head into Thor's shoulder, completely forgetting the battle that was going on. 

"Hey! You wanna help anytime soon?" Peter Quill screamed, shooting from all angles. Thor laughed, standing, nodding.

"Ready?" 

Loki nodded, standing beside his older brother and leaping directly toward Thanos, who was already weakened by his first blow Mjolnir. 

"Together?" 

"Together." Thor reached for his axe again, swinging it at the exact moment that Loki did too. The pair of them aimed for the head, hitting Thanos directly where they meant to.

Thor went for the head, with Loki. 

And it felt good.

Tony reached for the Infinity Glove while Thanos was distracted. 

"You are not strong enough - to - to - to defeat me." Thanos teased. 

Then everything fell silent. Loki landed on top of Thor as the armies turned to dust around them. Thor wrapped his arms around his brother, hugging him close to his body to ensure that he would not leave him again. He could not lose him to dust. Not after just getting him back. Loki's thin figure remained on top of Thor until the dust melted away. 

"Mr Stark - please, Mr Stark-" Thor looked over to Tony, lifting Loki up from the floor. "Please Mr Stark, we won. We did it. We won. I'm sorry." 

Peter Parker broke down, stroking a finger across Tony's face. Steve pulled the boy away, soothing him with his hand. Thor did not let go of Loki's hand, keeping him close to him so not to lose him again. 

"We are all going to be okay. You can rest now." Pepper spoke, gently. She gave Tony a quick kiss before crying herself. 

Then everyone fell silent again. Nobody dared to speak. This loss was too great. 

The loss of Tony Stark was too great. 

***

"He - he isn't dead. Tell me he isn't really dead." Peter Parker's cries could be heard from the other side of the room and Thor felt terrible for being so overwhelmed by Loki's return. 

"It's alright, Kid." Pepper was trying her best to remain in control. She couldn't break down now. She needed to be there for Tony's kid - for Peter. 

"Brother, are you alright?" Loki inquired, noticing Thor's unnaturally quiet nature. He placed his other hand on top of Thor's and smiled. "It is just, you have not let go of my hand since we left the field."

"I am not losing you again." Thor said, without thought. He sounded pathetic, sounded desperate and weak. Loki would only laugh at his stupidity. 

"I am not going anywhere." He nuzzled his face into Thor's neck, allowing the bigger God to curl up close to him on the chair. He rested his head upon his big brother's shoulder and took in his scent. 

***

"Where were you?" Thor broke the silence as soon as the door shut behind them. He stood opposite his brother, staring into his bright blue eyes. Wow, he never thought he'd see them again. He was so glad to get lost in them again. 

"I do not know." Loki shrugged, truly unsure. "I remember tricking Thanos. And I remember seeing you breakdown. But then I lost you." 

"I lost you." 

"I am here now." He put his head to Thor's, his eyes welling with tears. "I never meant to leave you alone." 

"I grieved for you. Again." 

"This was not my doing. Thanos' snapped his fingers-" 

"You mean - you survived on the ship." 

"I am sorry." He allowed a tear to fall from his eye. Thor wiped it away with his thumb, hating the mere idea of witnessing his brother cry. 

"It was not your fault." Thor said. 

"Nor was it yours." Loki's face began to contort into a smile. "I cannot believe that you let yourself go like this." He nudged his brother. 

"I know." 

"That is not your fault either, though." Loki said. "You were grieving. But you were never weak." He said. "Not once." 

Thor placed his hand to Loki's face again, running his fingers across every feature of his brother's face. Loki continued to stare into his brother's eyes, still allowing Thor to refuse to drop his hand. He entwined his fingers into Thor's, linking them tightly together. 

"I am sorry about Tony." 

"We lost Natasha too." 

"I know." Loki swallowed, hard. 

"Thank you, brother." Thor appreciated it. He knew that Loki did not like his friends. But his attempt at consolement was nice nonetheless. 

"Get some rest." Loki said, leading Thor to the bed. Thor climbed in, pulling Loki in beside him. 

"Goodnight, brother." He pulled Loki close to his chest, allowing the smaller God to feel secure. Loki smiled, rubbing his eyes. 

***

'Proof that Tony Stark had a heart.'

The words haunted Thor. He continued to hold Loki's hand tight. Tony deserved better than this. He had a family. He had a wife and he had a daughter. He did not deserve to die. Everybody had gathered for his send off. Everyone that mattered. The Wake was beautifully moving. 

"Hey, aren't you going to introduce us?" Rocket called, tapping Thor on the shoulder. "Is this your Asgardian boyfriend or somethin'?" 

Loki smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Loki Odinson." He held out his free hand, allowing Quill to take it and shake it. 

"You attacked New York. I remember Yondu telling me about you." He said, shaking his hand. 

"Yes. That was a mistake." 

"Big mistake." Quill muttered. 

"Quill." Rocket warned. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." 

"Thor, I'm real glad to see you happy again." 

"Thank you, Rabbit." 

"I thought I'd got rid of that name." 

"No." 

"Ha, alright." He scoffed. 

"And I would not say that I am happy. Tony and Natasha are dead." 

"And Steve has just abandoned us." Banner walked passed, pointing over to an old man on a bench. Thor furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Oh." 

"Yeah, he replaced all the Infinity Stones then married the love of his life." Bruce said, happy for his friend but missing Natasha too much. 

"Bucky?" 

"No, Peggy." Banner said. "I think." 

"That's real sweet." Quill wiped a tear from his eye. 

"Isn't it?" Clint asked, taking a bite from a hot dog. 

"Hey, Thor, we were wondering, do you wanna come with us to guard the Galaxy?" Quill asked, after being nudged by Rocket. 

"I am Groot." 

"Haha! Groot made a funny." Drax scoffed. 

"With you guys? To guard the Galaxy?" Thor furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yeah, on my ship with us." Quill said, folding his arms. 

Rocket rolled his eyes. 

"I will. On one condition-"

"Loki is welcome to come." Rocket said.

"Wait-" Quill pushed in, not wanting this to happen unless he knew for certain he was still in charge, before meeting Rocket's condescending, warning eyes. "Yeah, yeah, of course he can." He said, nodding. "But it's my ship. I'm captain." 

Thor smirked, still gripping Loki's hand. 

"Of course you are." 

"Right, so long as that's understood." Quill nodded, walking aboard his ship. 

Loki leaned into Thor, whispering. 

"He does know we are Gods, right?" He smirked.

"So is he." Mantis smiled.

"Wait - what?" 

"You will catch up, brother." Thor smiled, planting a quick kiss on Loki's cheek. "I promise." 

"You are an idiot." Loki pushed him onto the ship, allowing him to fall against the wall. 

"You love it, though." 

"Gees, are you two brothers or lovers?" Rocket quizzed.

Thor and Loki looked at each other with a mischievous grin, their eyes meeting. 

"We will leave that to you to decide." Thor said. 

"I am Groot." 

"Oh yeah, they definitely are frickin' lovers." 

"I am Groot." 

"Hey, they're Gods. I suppose incest is different in Asgard." Rocket shrugged. 

"I am Groo-"

"Don't be so disgusting." 

"Will you all be quiet while the tech looks for Gamora?" Quill snapped.

"I beg your pardon, who is Gamora?" Loki asked. "Is she not the green daughter of Thanos?" 

"You have a lot to catch up on." Thor said.

"It would appear so." 

"Hey, do you guys know someone called the Grandmaster?" Thor taunted. Quill furrowed his eyebrows.

"What-"

"You really are impossible." Loki crossed his arms, dropping Thor's hand at last. Thor laughed, nudging his brother, playfully.

"You love me." 

"That would be my biggest flaw." 

"Ah, I love you too brother." 

"Impossible." 

"And, worthy of Mjolnir, and of my love." 

***

**Author's Note:**

> This was really just for personal enjoyment to begin with but now I have an entire plot mapped out. I wanted to explore the possibility of Loki returning and lifting Mjolnir instead of Steve. I don't know, this is how I wish Endgame happened.


End file.
